pbsaz

After hearing how everyone seems to be so delighted with the new SL550, I got the itch to upgrade to an '07 from my '05. I mean the extra HP alone had me justifying the purchase. So off I go to the dealer with whom I've purchased quite a few new MB's. They have a couple in stock and they are the same color as my current ride.

The saleman asks me what it will take for me to buy and as straight foward as I can be I tell him that as long as I get full trade in value per the Kelly Blue Book, I'm fine. We look it up online and as best I can recall it's about $75K. I know that's not the final word but my friends a dealer he looked at the national Manheim report and that's close to the national auction price. The MSRP on my car was $96K.

He eventually comes back and says the best we can offer you is $61K. Rather than react I just thank him for his time but tell him that at that price it just doesn't make sense. He then brings over the sales manager who tells me that he selling brand new 2006 SL's for $25K under sticker since the new one came out. Once again I say thanks but no thanks.

Roll foward 24 hours. I was pretty disgusted so I call another dealer and ask him what he'll buy my car for. He agrees to $72K. I give him the car he gives me the money and I take to a Lotus dealer. I figured if I'm going to lose that kind of money I might as well buy something for pure fun. BTW, the MB dealers calls me right afterwards and says they'll now give me $11K more. This conversation is less civil as I have to question his business judgement by blowing me off one day and trying to get me back as a customer the next. Maybe it's just me but as a frequent car buyer (okay, a nut) I expect more from a dealer of an upmarket vehicle.

blazinginder

I guess you made out quite alright given the fact that many dealers were discounting new 05's when the 06's came out. "CLKAMG55" or somthin like that, on the forum purchased his 05 SL600 for under 100k when the 06's came out. Now given that info and other people getting their SL's for big discounts, I'd say that anything above 70k for 05 SL500 is VERY GOOD since now its a 2 year old model.

HLG600

Honestly, the difference to upgrade is not worth it. This is speaking to current owners of the 5.0 Litre SL. Why not spend that $20,000 on some Kleemann upgrades if you want the power increase.

blazinginder

exactly what I'd do with the 20k...kleemann s/c....that would get around 500-515hp from what i hear....has anyone this mod to their SL or if you just know, how much would it cost to purchase and install the s/c. Additionally are there any other parts that need to be installed in order to accommodate the mods.

HLG600

I belive the base kit is around $15,000 (it listed the kit for the CLK430 around there in some article I read). Kleemann offers various stages of tuning. They are reliable, and even build the Kompressors for AMG. Also, they have their owned patented supercharger design. The site is actually pretty cool. There is this "builder" online to see what upgrades they can provide. Just list the model, and you're off.

V8 5.0 Stock engine 306 Hp - 460 Nm (340 lb-ft) KLEEMANN
Power: Hp, Torque Nm (lb-ft)*

S1 ECU Programming
316
470 (348)

S2 ECU + Cams Shafts + Valve springs
336
485 (359)

S3 ECU + Cam Shafts + Valve springs + Headers
366
510 (377)

K S4 KLEEMANN Kompressor
506
675 (500)

K S5 Kompressor + ECU Programming
526
680 (503)

K S6 Kompressor + ECU + Camshafts + Valve springs
546
720 (533)

K S7 Kompressor + ECU + Camshafts + Valve springs + Headers
586
760 (562)

K S8 Kompressor + ECU + Camshafts + Valve springs + Headers + Complete Exhaust System
596
770 (570)

*actual power and torque output depend on a large number of variables. For detals please goto the FAQ section.

This was taken off their site.

http://www.kleemann.dk/site/Main/tun...ns/nav8engines

HLG

blazinginder

what exactly would i get for the $15000 "base kit"

Juice it

Why not just get a pre owned 55 or 600? A kleeman upgrade on a 500 seems like a waste of money considering you won't recoup a dime of that resale time and you could just buy one of the two above instead.

tomd

Good point !

Just about any mod on an SL will never be recouped.

blazinginder

you guys do have a point...but just getting the AMG would cost me double, 40k overall instead of 20k...this is because i'd only get 60-70k for my car and an 05 SL55 would probably be at least 85-95k used. So basically id take a 20k hit just selling my car and then end up paying 20k more to get the AMG ...thats why i see the kleemann s/c as a viable option, which would give me the same hp as a 55AMG which is all i'd care to have, for half the extra cost.

seattlecarfreak

you are forgetting about the resale value.. an sl55 will sell for much more than a sl500 + kleeman when it comes to resale...

Juice it

Yeah but you would lose that money when you sell and you don't get any warranty,upgraded brakes,trans and engine meant to handle this power. Its your money but I wouldn't go that route.

erichen

aftermarket upgrades are for fun... if somebody wanted a stock AMG, they would have bought one. I for one does not care for resale value... basically when you buy an MB or any other luxury German cars, you are not going to get your money back, no matter what... if you want resale value, go buy a Lexus.
I got what I want and what I could afford, an SL 500, as I make more money, I put stuff on there... it's fun, resale, I am not selling that car! When I save some more money, RennTech supercharger! If I had more money when I bought the car, I would have bought the 55.. oh well, too bad!

tiggerfink

I agree that we should not worry about car resale value. My father always told me that buying a car is lost of money that you will never recovered. Just enjoy the car. If you are worried about resale value, buy property, stocks, and options. My new hobby is trading options. Made me $400 bucks today, by purchasing $200 worth of options.

blazinginder

I think you guys are right...if i want that extra 200hp might as well get an AMG..maybe next year

HLG600

In regards to resale value and looking down the road, an SL55 will retain its value, as opposed to the Kleemann SL500. But, spending $15K on a Kleeman upgrade is far simpler than having to sell your car and repurchase an SL. Sure value will remain intact in the future, but will be spending more in the present. That is the beauty of the Kleemann package, spend less now and enjoy.

HLG600

Also, to add further, now is a horrible time to sell an SL500 due to the release of the 550 (isn't that what this thread was about). Either way, you will be spending money. An SL55 is not an investment, it is an awesome machine with depreciation...like 98% of all other road going vehicles. As opposed to upgrading to the SL550, one with an SL500 should Kleemann-ize if they want more power. They already have the car, why not improve the performance to surpass the new SL for less cost than upgrading to the newer model?

Juice it

I would agree if we were talking about a 3k chip upgrade but 15 to 20k to get the power we are talking about is a different story. All cars depreciate but if you can switch cars and get a better car with a warranty that will hold much better resale when the time does come to unload it makes much better sense to upgrade the car and not the engine.

blazinginder

Agreed...I'll get killed with selling the SL500 right now...grrr the 500 is staying for sure, kleemann...now that ill have to think about other things i can do with that money before i go and add 200hp haha

HLG600

How about buying an SL55 motor online and installing it in the SL500?

HLG600

I understand where you are coming from, but the Kleemann upgrade is justifiable due to the recent release of the SL550, which is severely damaging the SL500 resale values. A year ago, the 55 upgrade would have been the most intelligent route. But now, with the increase of of the 500 model depreciation, it will be much less costly to upgrade via Kleemann. Or, another good option will be to upgrade to the SL55 when the SL63 is released. Although the 63 motor is a masterpiece, the 55 motor (due to the Kompressor) is far easier to tune.

rajah996

Hey guys!

I am in the market for an '03-04 SL500, and am a bit shocked. I want a fairly well equipped with Sport Package, and they are all around 65-70k for a nice low mile car. You would think the new 550's would push the new 500's down, thereby causing the older 500's down, but the prices have stayed the same as last christmas. Anybody have any insight to this? Also if anyone knows of a Silver/charcoal sport for sale, at a reasonable price, PM me. Thanks!

-Rajah.

seattlecarfreak

may be because the sport package is in high demand.. the non-sport packages i've seen for as low as 50k..

vantage78

What was your expectation in terms of pricing? The release of the SL550 has definitely impacted SL500 prices, but it's not like there is are insane discounts of SL500 prices. I would say you should still be in the 60s for a 03-04 SL500.

Sgooter

I haven't seen any discounts yet on new SL550s, but new SL500s are available now for more than $14,000 off the MSRP. The 550s are certainly impacting the market for the new 500s. At the same time, I haven't noticed a corresponding big drop in the listed prices for used SL500s.

ShervSL500AMG

I am frankly very angry about the pricing. Also with regards to the SL55 or SL500 deal. When I purchased my vehicle, it came out to about 140k with all the options and mark up, and at that time it would have been cheaper for me to purchase an SL 55. I drove both and I chose the 500 because the drive is very different, to me it is more comfortable and more of an every day car. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the 55, but I couldn't handle the daily drive because I also own a CLK 55 2006, and that baby is loud and bumpy, so I drive it occasionaly.